Series of deadly Iraq attacks claims 75 lives

The death toll from a series of deadly car bombings and shooting attacks in the Iraqi capital Baghdad and other cities has risen to 75.

Twelve car bombs and a roadside bomb struck different commercial areas in Baghdad districts on Saturday. At least 65 people died and about 200 others were wounded as blasts went off after the breaking of the daily Ramadan fast or Iftar.

In the deadliest attacks, two car bombs claimed the lives of 12 people in Karrada, central Baghdad, while two car explosions and a roadside bomb hit Zafraniyah, southwest Baghdad.

Earlier in the day, gunmen shot and killed Bassem Mahmoud, a leader of the anti-al-Qaeda group Sahwa, and two of his bodyguards near the city of Baqouba, the capital of Diyala Province.